


the undertow calls me home

by ValkyrieGail



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Intersex, M/M, MerMay 2018, Merman Jack, Rescue Missions, Scientist Gabriel, Stockholm Syndrome, magick, mermaid, merman, merman anatomy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 11:17:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieGail/pseuds/ValkyrieGail
Summary: Jack had learned to be careful all his life. The humans were dangerous, and as they scoured their waters with technology designed to shock their systems and wipe their magick, they plucked him wounded and fighting from the waters of his home.Confused and terrified, he must fight his way back to the ocean or lose his magick altogether.Gabriel Reyes is a marine biologist working for the ocean research group known as Talon. In their California facility, Gabriel has been assigned a highly classified specimen found off the Aegean Sea known as ‘076’. Working under lead scientist Dr. Moira O’Deorain, they intend to understand all they can from their subject; by any means necessary.Gabriel must make the difficult choice to either sabotage his career and do what is morally right, or continue his illicit research for Talon.





	the undertow calls me home

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for discussion of kidnap, torture, and non-consensual medical practices done on a sentient being.

I.

“Think you’re ready for this?”

Gabriel glanced up to their young lead technician, who was glancing down at him from her position on one of the high ramps above the tank with a raised, perfectly sculpted brow. She had been observing him for some time while he checked, re-checked, and then checked the readouts again out of nervous energy.

Sombra was carefully fine tuning a few of the tank’s systems, preparing it in full for their soon to be ‘guest.’ Gabriel had his own clip chart filled with messy notes on the conditions of the tank, as well as the specifications his boss had sent him.

The older man huffed a sigh.

“As long as I can keep on the director’s good side long enough to actually allow me to get closer to our specimen.” Gabriel grumbled, pulling his instrument from the waters for the readouts. He adjusted his glasses, wiping away some of the moisture that had fogged on the lenses.

Sombra snorted “ _What good side?”_ while Amelia cleared her voice.

“Are you nearly finished?” Amelie asked from below, at the foot of the tank where she studied her own share of readouts on the computer screens. “The Mers in the warmer seas are notoriously difficult to locate. I still doubt they even colonize there anymore, much less visit with all the tourists around. I hope they really did catch a new species and not another salt-water only Mer.”

“They know how elusive they are. They’ve brought new equipment this time.” Gabriel reminded bitterly, all too aware of a few of the specimens they had housed elsewhere in the labs. He wasn’t too pleased with the device when he recalled how it had overpowered other creatures they had tested it on, zapping their sensory systems and leaving them in a shocked daze, ripe for the picking. He had worried such a powerful device could kill a Mer, but the leading scientist had been adamant that she would catch one, alive _or_ dead.

It didn’t matter to her.

However, Gabriel still felt uneasy about using such methods.

He had seen the photos of the damaged left fin Moira had sent him as ‘proof’ of her latest catch off of the Aegean Sea. For so long, they had been tracking the more rare Mer species with very few incidents of success. Many that were caught died soon, rapidly dissolving into sea foam thanks to the magick that pumped through their veins to keep them concealed from the threat of humans.

Other types of Mers were too aggressive or found other ways to escape.

The type they were going after were known to be able to adjust to the life at seas, as well as rivers when they needed the shelter to raise young. They were harder to find; more sea-faring and nomadic throughout most of their lives.

Only a few labs in the world had caught this particular variation of a Mer. Most Mers chose to off themselves versus being turned over to human ‘scientific discovery.’ The variations of them were so vast that it was exciting and dizzying for Gabriel, who had dedicated most of his life to studying the creatures.

Something deep inside him thrummed at the possibility of discovering something new and having the chance to fully understand what these creatures were capable of. He had received a Master’s in Marine Biology, and was hoping to move in the direction of doctorate while he worked under the acclaimed scientist, Dr. Moira O’Deorain.

Today was the move in date for their newest subject, and all hands of Talon were on deck, waiting to receive the good doctor and their program head; acclaimed explorer and businessman Akande Ogundimu. Most of the Talon employees would never get to lay eyes on the Mer, except for those with high enough clearance level who were entrusted with their skills and a very long and hefty non-disclosure agreement.

It had been hard for Gabriel to keep the information to himself and away from his family. Every moment, Gabriel teemed with the excitement of telling them that he was about to study a very rare species of Mer.

Final tweaks completed, Gabriel adjusted his glasses and carefully climbed down the metal stairs to where Amelie was triple-checking the readouts. She didn’t acknowledge the other man’s presence while he looked over her shoulder at the screens.

“ETA is 15 minutes. Make yourselves presentable.” Amelie stated, straightening her lab coat while Gabriel did the same. Sombra waved them off while she continued to work, more focused on her tech than the exotic specimen it would end up serving.

There were a few moments of silence while they finished the last of their data readouts before standing awkwardly towards the front of the room, their lab coats tidied up.

“It must be hard for Gerard to keep this a secret from you.” Gabriel pointed out, knowing full-well her husband had been sworn to secrecy when he accompanied Moira on her expedition.

Amelie smirked. “He will share his adventures with me when he comes home. You know Gerard…he can hardly keep a good story to himself.”

“Especially with a few drinks in him.” The other added. Although Amelie and Gerard’s marriage seemed strained with their regular distance apart, but it was their love of the ocean and the arts that brought them together time and time again.

The sea had a larger influence on them all.

Gabriel felt nervous with excitement when the alarm rang, signaling the extraction team’s arrival. He had wished he could’ve gone on the whole expedition to search for the Mer, but Akande had been firm in the decision of Gabriel staying behind to study a few of their other rare fish specimen.

 Now, Gabriel would finally get to view the object of his interest since he was a child.

The large bay door began to open up from the outside warehouse into the section they had blocked off for their top-clearance research. A lift carrying what looked like a large, steel tomb with plenty of wiring and tubes out of the back to oxygenate the water came into the room with Moira walking in front of it, a pleased smile on her face. The window on the specimen’s transportation unit was blacked out to reduce stress on the creature, blocking it from view on the outside world. All Gabriel could see was the faint outline of _something_ inside it.

At this point, even Sombra came down from the scaffolding to have a look at what Talon had gotten its hands on.

“Welcome back.” Amelie greeted, a twitch of a smile on her lips when she noticed Gerard walking up from behind the lift, carrying a duffle bag across his shoulder.

Gerard brightened when he saw his wife and moved towards her, giving her a kiss to the forehead. There was a thick bandage across his hand and up his arm. Amelie glided her hands gently over the wound while Gerard shrugged it off.

“Nothing but a little scratch, my dear.” He placated.

“A scratch, I’m sure.” Amelie frowned.

Moira had a few spots of sunburn on her face and tired shadows beneath her eyes. There was a thick bandage peaking from the right side of her neck that disappeared beneath her coat, telling of some sort of wound. In their line of work, it wasn’t uncommon to get injured when dealing with potentially dangerous subjects.

The lead scientist still managed a smile, looking as pleased as anyone who’d just made a possibly revolutionary discovery would. Despite being gone for almost 4 weeks, she had come home triumphant with a new specimen to study and hold her attention.

“Has the water been stabilized per my specifications?” Moira asked, straight to the point. She walked past the others to gaze over the readouts, her mouth twisted in thought. She was still solely focused on the end goal of securing their newest asset in the lab.

“To perfection.” Amelie replied, side eyeing Gabriel and Sombra to be sure there were no hitches in their progress.

“All systems go.” Sombra added. “Checked over the pressurization systems while Gabe adjusted the salinity and nutrients in the waters. It should be exactly the same as the Aegean Seas where you found them.”

“Good.” Moira purred.

“If this thing dies, it’ll be all your heads on the chopping block.” A deeper voice from the doorway announced. Gabriel looked over to their lead boss, Akande Ogundimu. “I expect my name in the history books with this _live_ specimen. If it dies, I will find it by your own negligence.”

“Understood.” Gabriel replied, hearing Amelie and Sombra mirror much the same. However, Akande’s eyes were firmly on Gabriel’s, challenging.

 Akande was very aware how much attachment Gabriel tended to exhibit towards the creatures he worked with. They had species from other regions housed in their warehouse, and Gabriel was always more kind and cautious with them than a typical Talon scientist. This was the first exotic Mer they had captured; one who was straight out of the textbooks and fairy tales of their younger years.

Knowing Gabriel’s love for Mers, Akande had exploited that affection to expect the utmost perfectionism in every aspect of the creature’s environment and health. In the past, Mers who were brought into captivity soon perished from either disease, malnourishment, or stress. To keep one alive long enough to study their habits, speech, mannerisms, and magicks would be a groundbreaking achievement.

“I think we should get to it.” Gerard cleared his voice, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room. He had helped to get the Mer here alive and was set to keep it that way in the holding tank.

“Let’s get the specimen acclimated.” Moira ordered, seeming pleased with what the computers were relaying to her. She snapped her fingers, giving the signal for two Talon employees Gabe had only ever seen load and off load equipment to come forward with the forklift and container.

They set the container onto the platform that would lift them up and over the large tank built specifically for their new guest. Gabriel was unnerved by the lack of sound coming from the large container while Amelie got to work in helping Sombra to attach some tubes to the side ports of the large transporter. Little by little, they would begin to adjust the waters in the container to match the conditions of the tank so that the Mer wouldn’t go into shock.

“Are they okay in there?” Gabriel asked while he ran his hand along the sides of the container.

“We had to give him a few light sedatives to keep him from biting any fingers off.” Akande frowned, his arms folded across his large chest while he watched the scientists at work. “He’s a stubborn one. He must be a youngling, kicked out from a group.”  
“Left a few of us with some souvenirs.” Moira spat.

“He?” Sombra asked. “Did you check this one over already?”

Gerard sighed, shaking his head. “They were too stressed and panicked, so it wasn’t safe to do a full body examination yet. After he’s been properly fed and settled into the new environment, we’ll go ahead and check to see what reproductive parts are present.”

Most Mers were intersexed, though some had more dominant features than others. Gabriel guessed this one looked more male for them to be using such pronouns.

“If it is in good health, we could register them for the national breeding program.” Akande stated with authority, “I will double your bonus if you can breed him.” He chuckled, amused by the prospect. “Perhaps we can study if they reproduce cross-species? We have that Australian specimen in our Florida program.”

Gabriel didn’t miss the annoyed twitch in Gerard’s eyes while he looked over the holding chamber’s data. Although it would fetch them millions for the publicity and science of studying Mer reproduction, it didn’t settle right with him. Although a Mer was viewed as lesser than ‘human’, much like any other creature in the ocean. Gabriel felt his calling was to understand Mer behavior without the stressors of outlying conditions. There was a lot more to them that was hidden away from human understanding.

Over time, there had been many similar type ‘creatures’ that were discovered by scientists and as humans spread the far reaches of the earth. There was a lot more living on the planet than just mere mortals.

When the pressurization and water acclimation was complete, Moira nodded firmly, giving the clear to begin moving the container onto the slope of the land that was licked by the waters from the artificial waves.

“He should still be too weak from the drugs to fight back, but these Mer can be tricky.” Akande spoke up, holding a cattle prod firmly in his hand. “They’re nasty little things.”

‘Little’ wasn’t a word to describe Mers in general, but almost anyone would look dwarfed next to man of Akande’s stature.

The scientists stepped back from the container along with Moira, going on the other side of the platform to close the viewing glass that separated the outside lab from the inside environment of the tank.

Everything was highly sophisticated, with only the most modern technology used. From the inside of the tank, the specimen wouldn’t be able to see what was outside. The holding tank had been designed to mirror the depths of the ocean, while the surface matched a light blue of the sky.

It was darker in the tank enclosure, with a small grotto for hiding and a few rocks that poked up for sunbathing should the Mer wish for it. Of course it wasn’t the same as nature, but Amelie had theorized that creating a more aesthetically pleasing environment for the Mer could help them to adjust quicker and reduce the amount of stressed inflicted on them.

From the outside of the tank, they could peer in and view the subject without hindrance. There were even small cameras installed in the grotto and throughout the tank, giving little privacy to their new subject so that they could monitor its movements 24/7.

Akande hoped that if the tank’s setup was successful, they could patent it and begin marketing it to other marine research groups and aquariums. Seeing stressed Mers, who were by nature an elusive and secluded species, did not make profit when marketed towards the public.

“Is the ‘cloak’ up?” Akande asked.

“Yes.” Sombra double checked her system, smiling in confirmation. “All clear. Cloaking activated.”

They shut the door to the outside of the tank while the container opened, bubbling from the inside. The scientists would be hidden now thanks to the AI environment, allowing the Mer to crawl out of its chamber alone.

They all seemed to hold their breath, waiting, anticipating, until finally a sharp nailed, webbed hand broke from the top of the container, feeling along the edges frantically. Not too long after, a second hand followed, pulling from it a mass of blue scales and fins shaded with red, gold, and flecks of silver-white.

Gabriel felt his breath stutter when the light caught on the beautiful colors while he watched the back of the Mer struggle to get out of the container and collapse unceremoniously to the sandy ground.

His stomach fell when he realized how injured the Mer was, and nobody was stepping forward to help them.

*

*

*

This wasn’t home.

He knew he was screwed the moment he had felt something thick and sharp jab into his neck while the warm hands of the humans pulled his body from the electronic nets that had captured him and rendered his magick useless.

He had tried to thrash and call for help, but he knew there wasn’t a Mer for miles around that could help him.

Even if there was, none would come to save him.

The humans had grown more crafty and ruthless in their attempts to scour the ocean’s depths to search his people out and pluck them from the waters as if they were fish ripe for the taking.

Jack crawled across the sands, feeling unnerved by the cloudless blue sky and the far off sun that didn’t seem to radiate the typical heat he was used to from his homeland. He let out a long, guttural call, trying to locate any other Mers within the area.

Had the humans dumped him on another island?

He was disoriented and tired, but his adrenaline was still trying to make quick work of his fight or flight skills. Everything was so quiet on this piece of land…No gulls flying overhead squawking at him, no sounds of sea life or heavy waves in the distance.

Jack dragged his body to the waters and submerged himself, allowing his gills to adjust to the water. He could breathe it in okay, but he was unnerved by the lack of sounds and vibrations he usually picked up from the waters.

This world they had plunged him into was lifeless, save for the corals and rock. He tried to swim quickly through the waters, but pain slowed down his haste.

He had sustained heavy burns on his fins and scales from where the land dwellers had used their electronic nets. He cursed, wincing while he undulated his fins, trying to pick up the pathway of the current to propel him quicker away from the island.

There was no current.

Jack called again in the waters, louder this time.

There was no answer.

He swam further until he was met with sudden resistance. If he had been going faster, he knew he would’ve certainly hurt himself, for it was jarring enough to run into some invisible wall when he could see ocean far away. Testing his magick, he ran the soft padding of his hands along the cold feel of the barrier. He followed it, trying to map out where the hell it started or ended.

Nothing.

He broke the surface, finding that the invisible barrier well cleared up into the sky. He followed it all the way around, panic setting in when he realized he was in a much more confined space than thought before.

Was he still even in the ocean?

He wasn’t sure what kind of spell craft had befallen him, but he knew it had to be the humans doing it. He knew of beings such as witches and sorcerers; had lived long enough to hear the tales of humans with supernatural strengths.

Jack continued to call out; long, low bellows he learned when he was a child, trying to locate his family unit when he strayed away.

He called and called and called, until the light began to shift into a cloudy sky, and the stars appeared, seeming so much farther away.

He tried to call upon his magick by the light of the moon, but nothing would happen. Not even the luminescence on his skin would shimmer amid the night’s air.

Jack wasn’t sure for how long he desperately searched for a way out of the barrier, or for how long he called for another Mer or his family, but eventually his exhaustion began to take the better of him.

He was injured and starving; having spent most of his energy trying to get out.

Not far from the surface was a rocky grotto, giving him a decent place to lay his body along the sandy bottom, half submerged in the water comfortably enough to allow him rest. His stomach was rumbling and his body ached, but he couldn’t search any longer after hours of a miserable nothing.

Jack wondered quietly if he was dreaming.

There was nothing all around him; no familiar smells, no sounds, no vibrations that told him the stories of the waters.

Only cold, empty silence.

_Nothing._

*

*

*

Gabriel didn’t get home until close to one in the morning.

After working late, he had gone to the 24-hour gym near his apartment to work off his stress to the point of exhaustion.

He felt more like he was crawling home, his muscles tired from their exertion while he keyed himself into his home, juggling his duffle bag, a small tote bag of groceries, and a protein drink.

A very loud “MEOW!” greeted him at the door.

His black and white tuxedo cat, Reapur, jumped down from his post on the cat tree and began circling around his feet, rubbing his little body against his owner’s legs.

Reapur’s all black-furred sister, Blossom, sat up from the very top of the cat tree and stretched, her little ears wiggling with the effort. She yawned dramatically, observing her master expectantly.

“Hope you two didn’t get into any trouble today.” Gabriel observed that his apartment looked to be mostly intact, save for a few cat toys spread on the carpet.

Reapur continued to rub against his legs excitedly, demanding attention.

“I know, I know. Shit. I’ve been gone longer than usual.” The biologist admitted. He set his duffle bag by the couch and entered the kitchen to clean out his protein bottle. He also cleaned out the automatic cat feeders and changed out the water, pleased to see that both cats had enjoyed their evening meals.

Slowly, he set into the rhythm of things.

He cleaned out his meal prep containers from lunch and dinner, put dishes in the dishwasher, gave each cat a treat, and then began changing out his duffle bag and backpack for his workday tomorrow.

Every day, the same.

Gabriel’s roommate, Jesse, was already in bed. He could hear the man snoring while he walked past his door towards the shower to wash the sweat and day’s stress from his skin. Jesse was a heavy sleeper, so Gabriel didn’t feel all too guilty for starting the shower and moving around the apartment.

Once under the hot spray, the reality of what he had witnessed at work played over and over in his mind.

The deep, guttural sounds of the Mer while he frantically called out for his family unit was one the scientist would never forget. He had heard the sounds before; observed them in other Mers and creatures when they were under distress.

However, there was something raw, bone-deep, and unnerving that made this Mers so much worse and hard to forget.

All the more, Akande’s pleased smile and laughter only added to the odd out of body experience. Gabriel knew he should’ve felt excitement towards finally having a rare subject to study. Instead, he experienced a profound, uncomfortable sadness that clawed at his chest from the sight of the wounded, desperate Mer.

Although it was deemed necessary to keep him alive, the cloaking device appeared to be cruel in the ways it disoriented the subject and provided a false hope. The Mer had no idea what was going on, and seeing the sentient confusion began to cause Gabriel to second guess himself and his place in Talon.

He knew Talon sometimes went through extreme measures in the name of research, but there was something about this case that was already sitting like a stone in his stomach.

He had justified other less than ideal medical practices or following bizarre orders in the past for the sake of science, but hearing Akande make remarks to breeding the Mer or eventually dissecting the subject if its health worsened made him quesy.

Gabriel wished he could call his parents to gain some moral guidance or get the stress off of his chest, but he was sworn to secrecy.

Slowly, he washed his face and turned off the shower.

Emotions were best removed from these situations. He knew he should feel grateful that Akande had hand-picked him for this assignment and entrusted this research to him and his team. Talon could offer him so much, and he didn’t want to screw it up because his moral compass was spinning rapidly.

He would do what was necessary.

_What other choice do I have?_

*

Once in bed, Gabriel turned on a nature documentary and tried to quiet his mind from his work.

Little by little, his body relaxed to the sound of the waves coming from the TV, pulling him to the other side between wakefulness and deep slumber. Images of water flitted across his vision; all shades of blue and the shadows from the sun filling his senses.

He could almost taste the salt of the sea and feel the oppressive weight of the current, pulling him out further into the deaths of the ocean while chaos rung in his ears.  

Distantly, he could hear the sounds of his family, so far away while he sunk further and further.

A sharp pain to his leg; a burden on his chest.

He could hear the long, low bellows of the voice drifting through the waters.

Its vibrations racked his body, calling him home.

*

*

*

Jack could barely sleep in the darkness of the grotto.

His stomach ached fiercely while his body tried desperately to replenish energy to heal his injured left fin. It hurt every time he moved it, but his magick would eventually kick in and aide in the process as soon as he had the nutrients to do so.

Called by hunger, he maneuvered himself back into the coolness of the water and swam underneath the rocky passage, filling his gills with saltwater that still seemed to lack the usual feel and presence of the waters he called home.   

Jack knew something was wrong, but he wasn’t about to allow himself to hide and wither away.

His family had always said he was too stubborn for his own good.

They were of course right, because his stubbornness to stray away from his usual hunting grounds had led to his capture and this new hell.

He knew that there must be humans nearby somewhere in this new place. He knew his injury, capture, and transportation to this strange environment was all linked to the humans and whatever they had planned for him. He had hurt a few of them in the process, and for that he was pleased. However, he knew humans could do much worse to his kind.

While swimming in the waters, he picked up on small traces of blood floating around. Compelled by hunger, he followed the blood and small vibrations of thrashing towards the surface where an injured fish was trying its best to stay afloat.

Jack was hesitant at first. He knew it might be a trap, but he also hadn’t eaten in a long time.

He watched the stressed fish for some time, noting that it was a sizably large salmon. It was easily enough to quell some of his hunger and give him enough energy to focus on healing his fin.

However, a shark or any other larger predator would’ve picked up on the scent and vibrations of a large meal. None were coming forward, confirming Jack’s suspicion that he was truly all alone in the waters and that the humans might be trying to lure him out.

The Mer hated the confliction he felt. He could continue to starve, or he could try and risk his immediate safety for a meal.

Hunger won out while he darted across the waters and snatched up the fish, killing it easily with a bite to its head. He then severed the spinal cord with his sharp claws, ripping into the fish while he pulled it ashore to eat.

He didn’t want to dirty the waters with the fish’s death, so he ate along the small shoreline of the island. He devoured his meal quickly. The Mer was too hungry to take his time and enjoy the taste of the meat and the bonus of nutritious eggs. He ate all the parts that he could and kept the rest out on the sand for the bird to eventually come and take part in.

Looking overhead, there was again no sign or sound of the familiar feathered friends.

While looking up and observing the sky, a sudden sharpness stabbed into the back of his neck. He gasped, making an audible sound while he reached back frantically, pulling out what looked like a feathered needle.

He growled, lips pulling back to reveal his sharp teeth in warning.

He tried to turn his body around, ready to fight, but the world began to spin slowly around him.

The Mer felt sluggish and weak while his muscles failed him. His body slumped to the ground, unable to get away while footsteps on the sand approached behind him.

“Now then, let’s see what we’re working with.” A familiar voice stated.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be for Mer-May and for the R76 BB, but life had other plans.  
> Taking this one off the shelf finally. It has turned into a Little Mermaid/Shape of Water hybrid of ideas now that it has sat long enough in my WIPs.  
> Also, there will be some background McGenji in this.  
> Come say hello~  
> [Tumblr](http://valkyriegail76.tumblr.com/)  
> [Twitter](http://twitter.com/AmethystValkyri)  
> 


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